Automatic valve



E. W. HARPER.

AUTOMATIC VALVE.

APPLlcAUoN HLED sPT.s,19zo.

Patented July 19, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IDWABD W. HARPER, 0F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO CLABENCIH. KELLY, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it lmown that I, EDWARD W. HARPER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Savannah, in the county of Chatham, btate of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Valves; and I do hereby declare the followi to be a full, clear, and exact description o the invention, such as will enable; others skilled in the art to which it apperta'ins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in valves and particularly to valves for controlling the supply of water to buildings.

The principal ob'ect of the invention is to provide a valve o this character which 1s automatically closed to revent freezin of the water in the pipes lea in to the buil ing.

Another object is to provi e a valve of this character which, while being automatic in its operation to prevent freezing by cutting off the water, may be readily operated by hand.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a valve and operatin means therefor made in accordance with t e invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view through the valve and operatin mechanism.

ferring particularly to the accompanying drawing, 10 represents the body or casing of the valve in which is arranged a slidable sleeve 11, having longitudinal ribs 12 which en ge in grooves in the inner faces of the wa ls of the neck 13 of the valve casing. The threaded stem 14 of the valve disk 15 is engaged through this sleeve for operation by hand, a hand wheel 16 being carried by the up er end of the said stem. A packing nut 1l) is en aged on the upper or bonnet portion of t e valve casing, and encircling the stem, between the nut and the hand wheel is a coil spring 18 which exerts upward pressure on the stem to raise the valve from its seat 19, and against the seat 20 formed in the lower end of the bonnet. When it is desired to close the valve b hand, the hand wheel is rotated which wil move the stem downwardly through the sleeve 11, and place the valve on its seat 19. The valve c an, however, be closed, when in raised position, by pressing downwardl on the hand wheel against the tension of t 1e spring.

Extending laterally from opposite sides of the valve casing are the arms 21, and disl posed vertically through the ends of these arms are the rods 22, screws 23 being enga ed in the ends of the arms to retain the r s in proper position therein.

Disposed above the valve is a vertical elongated casing 24 in which is slidable a solid piston 25 having a stem 26 on its lower end which rests on the upper end of the stem 14. A packing nut 27 is engaged on the lower end of the casing 24 around the piston. A pipe 28 connects with the valve casing 10 and with the upper end of the casing 24 for permitting a certain quantity of water to fiow from the valve casing into the casing 24 above the piston 25. A relief valve 29 is disposed in the pipe 28, at the point of connection with the casing 24 to permit escape of air when the water in said easin freezes. Connected to the stem of the relie valve is an outwardly projecting arm 30, and pivotally connected to this arm and extendin downwardly where it is detachably secured to the stem 26, is an operating rod 31, which is adjustably secured to the stem by the screw 32.

When the valve disk 15 is engaged with the seat 20 the water can pass freely through the valve casing 10, a portion of the water passing upwardly into the casing 24, through the pipe 28. When the water in the casing 24 freezes the expansion forces the piston 25 downwardly with the result that the valve disk 15 will be seated against its seat 19 to cut off the supply of water to the building, and thus prevent freezing of water in the building pi es. At the same time the rod 31 is moved ownwardly by the stem 26 so as to open the relief valve 29 and permit the air to be expelled during the exansion of the water in the casing 24.

hen the ice in the casing 24 melts the pressure is relieved from the spring 18 which immediately expands and moves the piston 25 upwardly into the casing 24 and permits the valve d1sk 15 to rise to its upper seat 20, when the main valve is open and water is permitted to again flow into the building.

The casing 24 has a pair of oppositely extending arms 24 in which the upper ends of the rods 22 are adjustably supported. By

adjusting the rods 22 through the arms of the valve easing l0 and of the casing 24, the length of the stroke of the piston 25 can be regulated according to the degree of eXpan- 'sion in the said casing, thus regulating the closing of the main valve 15.

WV hat is claimed is:

l. An anti-freezing device comprising a. Water controlling valve, a casing inwhich water is adapted to freeze, said valve having a slidingI sleeve, the stem of the valve being threadedl-y engaged through the sleeve for manual opening and closing, a spring for holding the valve normally open and the sleeve in elevated position, andv means in the said casing and connected with the valve stem for automatically moving the valve into closed position upon expansion in: the casing due to freezing.

2. An anti-freezing device comprising a valve including a casing having a slidable valve and stem. therein, a spring for normally holding the valve in open position, a casing-located above the valve, arms carried by the valve casing and the upper casing, supporting rods carried by the arms, a piston in the upper casin and bearing on the stem of the valve, a re -'ef valve in the said upper casing, and connections between the relief valve and the said piston for openi-ng the relief valve upon downward movement of the piston to close the valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD W. HARPER.

Witnesses :l CEAS. A. JON-Es, W. @Hamon 

